TRP: Larkin and Raef (Ropes and Daggers)
MINK -figure this out later. I'm lazy.- Setting: Courtyard Raef stared at the dummy awkwardly propped up against a stick he had buried into the ground. It wasn't as heavy as it should've been and it barely resembled a person, but it had a neck, arms, legs, everything needed to show Larkin where to stab, slice, and whatever the fuck she wanted to do while attempting to be sneaky; he had no doubt she would be. If they were in Alabaster, he'd have done this shit right, but they weren't and he didn't have any contacts here. Oh well. A dummy stuffed with old fabric and weighted down would have to do. He smiled faintly as he turned away from the dummy. Now he just needed Larkin to show her ass up and they could begin. He fiddled with the pommel of his sword nervously, excitedly. It had been a fuckin' long time since he had gotten to do this with anyone, and there wasn't anyone else he could think of he'd rather train with, except maybe Jasper. JEN When Larkin arrived Raef had set up a whole training range, complete with a stuffed dummy. She walked right up to it, grinning at Raef, and gave it a poke in the stomach. "Cute. What's that for? I know how to hit things." MINK "I'm not gonna let you stab me," Raef answered, grinning back. He tapped the pommel again. "Go ahead, then. Hit it." JEN Larkin squinted at him, then turned to the dummy and punched it in the head. It wobbled slightly. MINK Raef quirked an eyebrow. "I think it might have a bit of headache now." He smiled softly, amused. "Not gonna kill a damn thing punching it." And punching was a damn good way to get caught. "Come here." JEN "You said to hit it," Larkin complained but still obliged. "What'd you have in mind?" MINK He rolled his shoulders as she came over. He didn't really have anything in mind except.."You hit pretty fuckin' well," he started with another smile and roll of his shoulders. He placed a hand on one of hers. "Where'd you punch if you wanted to kill him in his sleep?" JEN "The throat?" A soft target, easy to crush. Supposedly. "Though I'd probably cut something rather than punch." MINK "Mmhmm. I want to focus on punching first. Where're your knuckles?" Punching then cutting then stabbing then that crossbow. Larkin had a shit ton of weapons to choose from. It was great. JEN "Uhm. Here?" Larkin flapped her free hand in the air. That's where they always were, ideally. MINK Of course. Always prepared for whatever -- part if why he liked her. He glanced over the knuckles, thinking. Hit the dummy...hit him...hit the dummy... "Hit me where you'd think's best. Quietly. Quickly." He paused. "Just don't fuckin' kill me." JEN Larkin opened her mouth to question if that was a good idea but, nah, Raef would know what he was up to. So, where to hit? The head was the obvious option. One good hit and he'd go down to where she could handle him more appropriately. Larkin switched into a fighting stance and aimed a punch at Raef's face. MINK For a moment he realized this was a fucking stupid idea - he wasn't tall like Aesar and Larkin could hit stuff like no one's business...and those knuckles -- then she threw the punch. It wasn't wild, but he managed to knock there are out of the way with one and his right snaked out to catch Larkin's throat. He dropped his middle finger down to catch the blade on his gauntlet and pin it to his palm, but not before it whispered out with an audible click. "Not the face. You're not killing anyone like that." He chuckled softly. "A for somewhere else or you're gonna wind up a piece of meat." JEN Larkin froze. Raef was damned quick and that switch blade - he could've sliced her up like a filet fucking indeed. She whistled softly and detached herself from him, rubbing the spot where he'd grabbed her. "Alright, got it. Face- bad idea." MINK Raef took a step back, flexed his wrist to press the button that caused the blade to slide back into its compartment, and sucked away a drop of blood from his fingertip. Fuckin' blades. "Mmhmm...we're trying to kill someone quickly," he agreed. Not bash them to death. "We need to aim for the good spots." He tapped his throat where hard cartilage met soft skin. "Here if you're gonna punch someone." He drew a line to the right. "Here if you're gonna slice them." He lowered his hand. "Come at me again." JEN Punching people was fun and all, but not Larkin's preferred method to attack. She was too small and flimsy for that. Still, she got into position again and came at Raef, staying low and aiming for his throat. MINK Raef had to take a step back to keep her from hitting h, but he had her throw one more punch before having her stop on the third with an arm extended. He reached out to hold her hand and he slipped a sliver of metal into her palm, and closed her fingers around it. "Pop it out when you connect," he said with a smile. "Then keep on running...or walking. Don't stop, don't look back." He pulled another thin piece of metal out as he walked back to stand beside Larkin. "You don't exist before or after you touch them." Just a ghost in the crowd, moving silently and unnoticed. "You're nothing." JEN "Huh," Larkin said, eyeing the slip of metal. "Pretty dramatic." She smirked at him- then slashed, without warning. She couldn't get the metal out in time, though, and it dug into her palm instead of Raef's skin, while only the tips of her knuckles grazed him. "Ah, shit." Larkin took a step back to pick at the wound. "Look'it me, acting like a fucking runt." MINK Raef snorted laughter. "You're no fuckin' clue." Assassins. He swore they were the most dramatic fuckers except maybe clerics. He grinned when Larkin missed. "And I thought 'bout letting you use my knife." He laughed softly. He turned as if to walk away before he shifted his weight to his toes, turned, stepped, and his hand snapped out. The edge of the warm metal brushed against Larkin's skin over her thrumming pulse before it was gone and he was walking past her. JEN Larkin stepped back an spun with his movement, but not fast enough to avoid getting a small, burning cut on her neck. Fuck damn. She caught up to Raef, rubbing at the sore spot and took his hand. "That's fucking scary." She turned it in hers to see how he was holding the metal. "So, what'd I do wrong?" MINK "It's how you hold it." Raef turned over his hand. He had his thumb partially crooked to steady the metal and his palm (and the metal) as flat as he could - he remembered slicing across his palm before and that shit had hurt - but his fingers could curl to conceal the blade. He pushed with his thumb and unfolded his fingers at the same moment, letting the metal slide out as easily as it could. "I won't lie; I prefer fuckin' spring blades." But he didn't always have that. He gripped Larkin's hand and rolled to carefully position the blade. "Try it now." JEN Larkin tested the motion a few times. Struggling at first, the metal biting into her skin again, but after a while it went more easily. She turned away from Raef and towards the dummy, strolling up in a casual walk. Then her hand snapped forward, hitting it in the throat area, and making a ripping sound when the metal tore through the fabric. It spun her around a bit but Larkin kept her walk steady as she circled and returned to Raef. MINK A shiver crawled up Raef's spine when the sound of rending fabric floated to him; it was a pleasant sound. A satisfied smirked tugged at the corner of his mouth when Larkin kept on walking. She had had to change direction a little, but she kept going. Good. He liked it...he liked this. It was nice to work with someone like this again, and now he wasn't the one being spun around and dropped like a fuckin' sack of potatoes. "Great." He grinned. "Just always keep walking." He tucked away the metal and he gestured for her to turn around. "I'm gonna grab you, okay?" JEN Larkin gave him a quizzical look but did it, preparing for being taken into a chokehold. MINK Raef took a step closer and he slipped one arm around Larkin's chest. He slipped his left hand around her neck, careful and delicate in his touch before he curled his thumb to secure it against the hollow of her jaw and he tilted her head back. His other hand found a spot to the left of her spine, he straightened his fingers, angled, and pressed upwards. "...you're not always going to grab them from the front," he whispered against Larkin's ear. "I like to come up from up behind and grab them." - his grip tightened. " - and angle my knife, or dagger, or whatever weapon I have" - he twisted his fingers. "- the longer the better. The heart is just on the other side and it's quick, not as messy." - he tilted his face closer. " - if no one sees you, that's best. If someone sees you, you're only surprising a lover and they'll wander off." JEN Raef's delicate fingers turned out surprisingly strong as they dug into her skin and Larkin couldn't help but feel a pleasant shiver when he pressed himself against her and whispered in her ear. She grinned and turned her head so that they met forehead to forehead. "You killed many 'lovers' like that?" MINK "Three." Raef smiled softly, the ghost of a smile. He danced his fingers down her throat, darted them down an arm, and they finally came to rest on her hip. He wrapped his other around her waist and snuggly pressed the heel of his hand into her side, but the blade remained secure within its compartment. "And two like this." JEN "Hmm," Larkin made, a sound between a purr and a chuckle. "You're a fuckin' dangerous man to, uhm. Love." She snickered, then twisted around so she could slip her own hand up his throat and press the fingers of her other into his back, the same spot he'd showed her before. "You got any techniques for when there's no chance for hiding a blade?" She gave a lopsided grin and winked. MINK An enjoyable chill danced through him as Larkin turned. She was slender, but there was the threat of danger as she held him and pressed in closer. "Several." He worked a foot between her legs, hooked his ankle around hers, and pulled sharply. All the while he kept his arms around her even when her weight fell in his to allow him to drop them to the ground. In the same movement his hand snaked around her neck and his thumb pressed into the hollow; he could feel each breath she took. He settled his weight down against her, pinning in her while he released his other hand to caress along her shoulder and eventually he met his other at her throat. Then he moved up to her larynx. "If you press just a little..." he breathed out against her ear. "...it takes only a little to die." JEN "Mask." Larkin breathed out and it came rough from the pressure Raef applied. She chuckled again, eyes fixed on his. "So, that's what gets this elf going, huh? I mean, it's kinda weird, but..." She moved her hands up the sides of his body until they rested on his forearms. Then she bucked up her hips and, using his now unbalanced mass, rolled them both around so she came up sitting on top of him. She bent down immediately to press her thumbs into the hollow of his throat. Lightly. "I kinda like it." MINK She bucked, pressed, and he was staring up at her with her hands around his neck. Goosebumps pricked his skin. "Mmm...I guess you're learning," he purred softly as he traced his hands along her thighs. He followed the curve beneather her pants, over the ridge of her hips, and held her waist. Once more his gauntlet was nestled dangerously close against her stomach. "Good. I don't like being the only one enjoying something." JEN "So," Larkin said and leaned in until only a hand's width separated their faces. She bit her lips, thinking about how good it'd be to bite Raef's. "We gonna get down to real business or we just sticking with a dry run?" MINK Real business sounded good, but there was always the pleasure of teasing it out. Raef hummed out softly and patted her hip. "Dry run. Get up and I'll show you how to kill some from a tree." JEN "And what if I don't fucking want to?" MINK "Then I guess we gotta leave the courtyard." JEN Larkin made a low growling sound in her throat while trying to decide. Getting it on with Raef right now? Sounded fucking hot. But getting it on with Raef later, after they'd teased and beat each other up? Even better. So instead of pressing a kiss to his lips, Larkin pressed a knee into his stomach and pushed herself to her feet. MINK Raef sucked in softly when Larkin pressed into his stomach; it ached, but damn if he didn't love it. He followed her up and brushed off his pants before he walked over to his pack to pull out a rope. It was time to be serious now. "We're both small," he said as he worked on creating a lasso, heading towards a nearby tree. "So we use our body weight." He stopped by the trunk. "Get up there." JEN Larkin gave Raef a nod and a grin, then went to scamper up the tree- and drop down with a crack and thud when the branch she'd put her weight on broke. MINK Raef winced when Larkin hit the ground. He offered out a hand. "Not dead?" JEN She took it. "Not dead. Ah, fuck, that wasn't hot at all, huh? Lemme try again." This time, she made it up without problems. Managed to look fucking good doing it, too, at least by her own assessment. When she'd reached a branch good enough to sit on, she perched there and waited for Raef's next order. MINK Raef laughed below his breath. "Second chances, right?" He grinned as he watched her climb up into the tree. There was something about second chances and he watched her probably more intently than he should've. He flung the rope up once she was settled. "Show me how you drop a lasso." JEN "Drop a... man, you got ideas." Larkin eyed the thing, then just chucked it down while holding the other end wrapped around her forearm. MINK "I'll show you how I killed a guy." Raef smiled as he watched her drop it. "Pull it back up and drop it again, like you're gonna hang me." JEN Larkin shrugged and pulled the rope back up, then threw it out again aiming for Raef's head. MINK The rope whirled until he grabbed it. He held tight. "Jump off the branch as hard as you can." JEN Larkin jumped. MINK Raef held on as the rope tightened and he was lifted up. It wasn't as fast as he liked, but it worked. He swung a little before he dropped. "If you do it quick, you'll snap their neck." He tugged on the rope. "If you do it slow..." you'll get he information you want, but he didn't tell Larkin that. She already knew. "...Up again." JEN She sighed, not without a smile, and did as he told her. "Yessir." Once up on the tree again, Larkin whirled the rope in the air, waiting for Raef to give her more orders. MINK "Good job, Miss, " Raef answered with a wink at her 'yessir'. He held up a hand just a little above his head. "Now I want you to hang me and kill me." JEN "You got it." Larkin pulled the rope in, then swung it in a few tight circled before lashing it out towards his hand. It looped around his wrist and Larkin hopped down from the tree. MINK Shit. It was only when the rope tightened and yanked him up did Raef think that maybe he should've put something on to stabilize his wrist or even put something between it and the rope. Pop! He grit his teeth as he hung there, hot pain flickering. Dumbass. He reached up with his other hand to hold the rope, and some of his weight. "Now what're ya gonna do, Larkin?" he asked, voice tense, but with an eyebrow quirked. "Can't kill me standin' there." JEN He was right, Larkin should've thought about that before jumping, but- "Holy shit, was that your wrist!?" Larkin let go of the rope and hurried over to Raef to take his hand.. She should've thought of that as well. MINK Raef sighed out with relief when Larkin let go and he could stand with his feet in the dirt again. "Goddamn--yeah," he answered with a wince and chuckle as Larkin took his hand. "It'll be fine." Better than gettin' shanked and he could still wiggle his fingers and feel her touch. "But, shit. Good job." JEN "Good job on dislocating your hand?" Larkin grimaced. "Sorry, man, shoulda guessed that would happen. Thought you had some kind of neat trick." MINK Raef waved off of the apology with his good hand. "My fault. I forgot. Only neat trick was gonna be showing you how I killed a guy." He laughed softly. "It's fine. I only need one hand." He winked. "Now...what I was gonna show you is that once you've me strung up like a pig, you'll come in and get me here." He touched a spot on the right side of Larkin's stomach and traced a line down and towards her left hip. "Or you're gonna come in from behind and - " He moved his touch around back to where he had pressed before. "- get me here." JEN "That's gonna make all my entrails fall out, ain't it," Larkin commented as she retraced the line on her stomach. "Messy. Didn't think that'd be your style." On the other hand, there had been the night where she'd helped Raef get to those thugs, and he'd come out of the room positively soaked in blood. She shrugged a shoulder. "Or... eh." MINK Raef grinned. "If you hit them once along that line, they'll bleed out." Or, like she said, if the line was followed then everything fell out. "Killin' ain't pretty." He reached for the rope to loop it carefully; he didn't want it to knot and looping the damn thing with a dislocated wrist wasn't the quickest thing. "But no matter if you come away covered in blood, you keep moving. Don't get fuckin' caught." JEN Larkin nodded at the comment. Sure wasn't pretty. Raef did seem to enjoy talking about it a whole lot, though. She smirked. "Do I look locked up to you?" MINK "That can always change," Raef answered, soft and teasing with a glimmer of a smile. JEN She laughed. "Is that a warning or a promise?" MINK "Depends on how good you are." He draped the rope over his arm. He turned to walk back towards the dummy. "C'mon. Show me what you've got." JEN "Don't you wanna get that hand fixed first? Sounded really nasty." MINK He glanced down at it; it was going to look fuckin' disgusting in a little bit. The skin was already turning mottled colors. He probably should track someone down who had useful healing shit other than a potion. "Prob'ly a good idea." Raef dropped the rope into his bag and scooped it up to sling it over his shoulder. As he walked past her again, he leaned in close, ghosting his fingers across Larkin's shoulder. "Take advantage next time," he whispered against her ear and then he was walking away. JEN Why, Larkin thought, when she could take advantage now? She stepped after him and, in an instant, had his good wrist in a grip to twist it around onto his back. Her free hand came around his stomach, pulling him in against her and pressing the slip of metal she still held into his side. "Like so?" She said next to his ear. MINK Raef hummed out as a pleasant shiver crept through him. Larkin's grip was strong as she held him, and she was warm. "Mmm...like so," he whispered, turning his head to look at her, just a hairsbreadth of distance between them. "Now what're you gonna do, Larkin?" JEN Larkin held the tension between them a moment longer, staring into Raef's eyes intently, leaning in just a bit more- then she let go. "Nothing." She grinned and stepped back. "I am nothing, you're dead. Such a pity." MINK Raef laughed, taking a step away and fixing his pack. Yeah. She was fuckin' great. "I guess I can't make do on my promise now." He snickered as he started to walk once more. "Shame. I'm great with locks." End Ropes and Daggers Summary: Raef teaches Larkin specific ways to kill people. Category:Text Roleplay